The Trials of Living With Tourette Syndrome

Experimental Treatments

Deep brain stimulation: Some families have turned to deep brain stimulation to temper tics. In the case of Jonah Hinds, one subject of the television documentary, DBS reduced, but didn't eliminate, them. With DBS, tiny electrodes are placed inside various regions of the brain to regulate electrical activity. But to date, "there is no consensus about patient selection, stimulation target, or stimulation setting," according to an article on tic suppression in the special journal issue. Surgical complications included bleeding near the tip of the stimulator lead, poor scar healing and infection; complications from the stimulation included eye changes, vertigo, fatigue, mood changes, nausea, and sexual dysfunction.

Non-invasive transcranial stimulation: This technique places a magnetic coil over the scalp and then provides magnetic pulses that have shown promise in depression, More studies are needed, according to the review article on tic suppression.

In case you're wondering whether Kyle Lee ever managed to see "The Expendables" all the way through, here's your answer. A week after being asked to leave the theater, he says, "I went to the drive-in." But the avid fan, who has posters at home of Rocky Balboa and dressed as him for Halloween, has one unfulfilled wish: to share his story with the film hero whose own tribulations include having an autistic son and a daughter who underwent open-heart surgery within months of birth.

"It's been a dream of mine to meet the guy."

For more information, visit the Tourette Syndrome Association website at http://tsa-usa.org.

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